As London’s lead economic development agency, the London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) focuses heavily on helping businesses come to London and prosper. The LEDC is on a mission to help put London on the map and promote our city for business opportunities in global markets. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of 2015, as well as what’s in store for 2016.
Events at a glance
Throughout the year, the LEDC organized many events and activities that not only provided networking opportunities, but highlighted London’s strength in various sectors. We kicked off the year with HTML500, where hundreds of Londoner’s improved their digital literacy and coding skills. In February, our Eye on Enterprise conference brought in around 300 people to hear stories of local entrepreneurs and learn about the support network for current and aspiring business owners. LEDC connected students with potential employers at the 8th annual Student 2 Business Career Networking Conference in March 2015. More than 500 students and 250 local business and community representatives attended the event, and the same turnout is expected for our 2016 S2B. In October, we held our 7th annual Manufacturing Matters Conference and Tech Fest. Over 400 participants gathered at our Tech Fest event, presented in partnership with TechVibes, and 200 employment opportunities were announced across 13 hiring companies. We kicked off November with our fourth annual Best Defence Conference, highlighting London’s defence industry that employs more than 12,000 workers, and launched a Media and a Human Resources seminar to provide valuable information and supports for local London businesses and entrepreneurs.
Partnering for success
A Fibre Optic Connection Grant Program was proposed for London through a collaboration with the City of London, the London Economic Development Corporation, and Downtown London. The first connection was installed in the former Novacks building in September, where digital video production company web.isod.es, Vibrafusion Labs, and UnLondon Digital Media Association benefitted from connection speeds up to 25 times faster than before. Businesses in creative industries, digital marketing and gaming, information technology and similar industries are eligible to apply. The grant provides up to $20,000 per building, and Start.ca is investing $1 million from 2015-2016 to provide support with expansions. To learn more about the grant, visit http://www.ledc.com/news/london-companies-growing-their-bandwidth.
In fall of 2015, the LEDC in partnership with the Small Business Centre announced the launch of multi-phase food and beverage programming to support entrepreneurship in the agri-food sector. The series of workshops and seminars provide expertise to help people understand the unique challenges of starting a food business, such as branding, regulatory requirements, and technology required http://www.ledc.com/news/entrepreneurship-supports-for-londons-food-and-beverage-sector.
We launched the digital version of our London Magazine, which received a 2015 Virtuoso Award of Merit from IABC for Publication Design. The magazine is a prime example of how the LEDC is changing conversation about economic initiatives in London and is actively engaging with clients and the community. By creating an interactive, digital version of the magazine, we could share the London story and showcase our city’s unique ventures and success stories with the world http://www.ledc.com/news/ledcs-london-magazine-receives-recognition.
On a Mission
In 2015, the LEDC participated in a dozen federal direct investment missions. Members of our team have travelled to places like Germany, Brazil, and China to attend conferences, seminars and meet with potential clients and companies interested in bringing their business to London. These missions have provided opportunities for the LEDC to market London to the world and discuss our city’s key sector and economic strengths. Read more about how the LEDC is on a mission at: http://www.ledc.com/news/london-moving-forward.
Economic updates, community initiatives and more in 2015
- The unemployment rate in London hit an 8 year low, dropping to 5.9% in July. London also ranked 2nd for Business Friendliness by fDi Magazine, and was deemed the perfect test market by The Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-managing/london-test-market/article26846284/.
- The City of London and the London Chamber of Commerce unveiled a five year strategy called the London Community Economic Road Map to serve as a catalyst for maximizing economic success across our community. Emphasis will be placed on five key economic priorities, which include nurturing entrepreneurs, creating a supportive business environment and a vibrant urban core, fostering a top quality workforce, and further positioning London as a hub for medical innovation.
- Matter Architectural Studio opened in London, bringing a fresh perspective to architectural projects in the city. A new space for live arts called Elevation Arts venue launched in downtown London. We also welcomed the arrival of companies such as Farmboy and Sodecia.
- London’s downtown was in a digital upswing. UnLondon and tbk Creative moved into their downtown London offices, while other vacant locations were transformed into high-tech hubs. Incubation and maker spaces like the DHMakerBus and Hacker Studios made waves in 2015, providing unparalleled access to resources that entrepreneurs and start-ups need to kick off their ventures.
- In 2015 we celebrated many local company expansions. Artisan Metal Finishing received an investment of more than $900,000 to expand its facility and provide new and automated services to existing and new market segments. IKEA Canada expanded to London, creating the first pick-up point location in the region. Many companies expanded into national and international markets. Race Roster expanded into California, while Voices.com ventured to offices in New York City. ZTR Control systems set up another office in Berlin.
- In collaboration with the City of London, the LEDC honoured four recipients of the Economic Leadership Awards, which included Startech.com, Trojan Technologies, Brose, and AutoData Solutions.
A New Year
There’s lots of exciting events and initiatives already in store for the LEDC and London. The LEDC will be launching a new London Magazine early 2016 to showcase new businesses and resources in London and create conversation about our city’s economic and success stories.
Our Student to Business Career Networking Conference will be held on March 2nd at the London Convention Centre, featuring keynote speaker Bobby Umar, 4x TEDx speaker and international author. Learn about personal branding and network with hundreds of students and business professionals at S2B 2016. You can register at: http://www.ledc.com/s2b.
We look forward to working with you in 2016! Keep your eye on our news and events page for all the latest happening in London: http://www.ledc.com/news-events.
